Lawsuit: Sorority Membership a "Human Rights" Issue?

[NinjaPoodle]

FWIW we're only hearing one side of the story.

[IrishLake]

Sen is SUCH a good lookin guy!

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

Sen is SUCH a good lookin guy!

Off topic^^ but I concur!!

[Gamma Xi Phi]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

Sen is SUCH a good lookin guy!

Originally Posted by NinjaPoodle

Off topic^^ but I concur!!

He says thanks and hopes that you follow him on facebook and twitter.

[MysticCat]

LOL

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

Sen is SUCH a good lookin guy!

[sigmadiva]

This lawsuit will not hurt AKA's reputation.

They've survived worse - lawsuit, no lawsuit.

The only hurt reputations out of this are the ladies and their moms. After a while it should have been obvious to the ladies that the chapter did not want them. They just should have dropped it and moved on with their lives.

Let's say they do win, and obtain membership in the org. I would imagine that they would be greatly shunned by the members. So what - you're in, you have the letters and pin, but no one will talk to you, no one wants you in their chapter. They would be AKAs in name only. I seriously doubt they would have the positive emotional connections and sisterhood they would like to have.

I suspect that the chapter did not want to deal with the lunacy of these ladies. The chapter had every right to reject them, but based on the article the chapter may have handled it wrong. The chapter should not have toyed with them and strung them along.

I'm with everyone else in thinking that this is a frivolous lawsuit. I really hope the ladies don't win.

[oliwells880]

I'm surprised! Usually, family members who was injured in hazing or died in hazing are the one that filed cases in the sorority of violating human rights.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by oliwells880

I'm surprised! Usually, family members who was injured in hazing or died in hazing are the one that filed cases in the sorority of violating human rights.

Lawsuits for violations of "human rights" as such are, in my experience at least, rare in American jurisprudence. I was actually surprised (well, maybe not really) to see that there is (maybe) a basis for such a claim in DC.

Lawsuits for violations of constitutional rights or civil rights are, of course, another matter.

But lawsuits by those injured in hazing or by the families of those who died as a result of hazing are typically going to be in tort, not for violation of "human rights."

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by oliwells880

I'm surprised! Usually, family members who was injured in hazing or died in hazing are the one that filed cases in the sorority of violating human rights.

You need to know the mentality behind the lawsuit.

1. They are not suing because they were hazed. They are suing because they were hazed and did not get in. In their minds they did all that "work" and they did not gain membership. Had they gained membership after being hazed they would not have sued.

2. Why they think it is a human rights issue - They were probably raised to think, since birth, that they are to be AKAs. I'm sure their moms in some way made sure these ladies (as children) we part of the "right" social group growing up, and were seen and participated in the "right" functions and activities, all with respect to the AfAm community. This was part of their grooming and preparation to become AKA.

I suspect along the way these moms told their girls that they have the right to live where they want, be anything they want to be, the right to vote, and oh, yes, the "right" to become an AKA.

To compound this issue, they wanted to join AKA through the 100+ yr old Alpha chapter, and in addition to that, a chapter at a HBCU.

---------

This lawsuit is really about those ladies and their moms saving face.

[NinjaPoodle]

Another comment from a chat group:

at this point it's not about membership...it's about hurting the org. They don't care about being a AKA. They trying to hurt and embarrass the org and get some cash in doing so. Even if they aren't successful, lawsuits are expensive to fight and having one filed against you hurts your character.

[Old_Row]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

"How is any of this a violation of human rights law? The aspiring sisters say they're being discriminated against because, as legacies, their mothers were also in the sorority. In other words, they're being treated differently because of their "familial status"—a protected class under the D.C. Human Rights Act. In addition to monetary damages, the would-be Alpha Kappa Alphas want the court to grant an injunction putting the pledging process on hold."

Aside from the fact that I agree with everyone else that this whole thing is ridiculous, if for some reason the court was to rule in their favor and allow them to join because of their legacy status, wouldn't non-legacies then be able to sue based on their human rights being violated because of their "familial status" of not having an AKA in their family?

[Kevin]

Anyone have a link to the Complaint?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Anyone have a link to the Complaint?

I've looked but haven't been able to find one.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I've looked but haven't been able to find one.

I found it on PACER...13-cv-00262 in the DC District. The moms list themselves as Soror Lessie Colfield and Soror Sandra Compton in the caption, which I thought was interesting.